Video Format Compatibility
Complete guide to supported video formats for VidSpeed
✅ Quick Answer
VidSpeed supports all major video formats thanks to FFmpeg.wasm, the same powerful library used by professional video editors.
...and many more!
📥 Input Formats (Upload)
| Format | Extension | Support | Common Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | ✅ Excellent | Smartphones, cameras, most videos | Most common format. H.264/H.265 codec. |
| MOV | .mov | ✅ Excellent | iPhone, macOS, QuickTime | Apple's format. Fully supported. |
| WebM | .webm | ✅ Excellent | Web videos, YouTube | Modern web format. VP8/VP9 codec. |
| AVI | .avi | ✅ Excellent | Older Windows videos | Legacy format. Still widely used. |
| MKV | .mkv | ✅ Excellent | HD videos, Blu-ray rips | Matroska container. Supports multiple tracks. |
| FLV | .flv | ✓ Good | Old Flash videos | Legacy format. Should work fine. |
| WMV | .wmv | ✓ Good | Windows Media Video | Microsoft's format. Generally supported. |
| MPEG | .mpeg, .mpg | ✓ Good | DVD videos, old cameras | MPEG-1/2. Well supported. |
| 3GP | .3gp | ⚠ May Work | Old mobile phones | Legacy mobile format. Test first. |
| OGV | .ogv | ✓ Good | Open-source video | Ogg Vorbis. Supported. |
| M4V | .m4v | ✅ Excellent | iTunes videos | Similar to MP4. Works well. |
💡 Tip: If your format isn't listed, try uploading it anyway! FFmpeg supports 100+ video formats. Most will work fine.
📤 Output Formats (Download)
MP4 (H.264)
Recommended📹 Best For:
- Maximum compatibility
- Social media sharing
- Viewing on any device
- Email attachments
✅ Advantages:
- Works everywhere
- Good quality
- Reasonable file size
- Hardware acceleration
- Fast encoding
⚠️ Disadvantages:
- Slightly larger than WebM
- Not the newest codec
File Size: 100-150MB per 10 min video (1080p, high quality)
WebM (VP9)
Smallest🌐 Best For:
- Web uploads
- YouTube videos
- Modern browsers
- Minimizing file size
✅ Advantages:
- Excellent compression
- 30-50% smaller files
- Good quality
- Open-source
- No licensing fees
⚠️ Disadvantages:
- Slower encoding time
- Not on older devices
- Limited hardware support
File Size: 60-100MB per 10 min video (1080p, high quality)
MOV (QuickTime)
Apple🍎 Best For:
- macOS & iOS devices
- Final Cut Pro editing
- iMovie projects
- Apple ecosystem
✅ Advantages:
- Native Apple format
- Excellent on macOS/iOS
- Good for editing
- High quality
⚠️ Disadvantages:
- May not play on Windows
- Requires QuickTime
- Larger file sizes
File Size: 100-180MB per 10 min video (1080p, high quality)
🎬 Video Codecs Explained
What's a Codec?
A codec (coder-decoder) is the compression algorithm used inside a video file. The same container format (like MP4) can use different codecs.
Think of it like: Container = Box, Codec = How items are packed inside the box.
H.264 (AVC)
Most popular codec. Used in 90% of videos worldwide.
- ✅ Universal compatibility
- ✅ Hardware acceleration
- ✅ Fast encoding/decoding
- ⚠️ Moderate file sizes
H.265 (HEVC)
Newer codec. 50% better compression than H.264.
- ✅ Excellent compression
- ✅ 4K/8K videos
- ⚠️ Slower encoding
- ⚠️ Limited device support
VP9
Google's codec for WebM. Used by YouTube.
- ✅ Better than H.264
- ✅ Open-source & free
- ✅ Good for web
- ⚠️ Slower encoding
AV1
Next-generation codec. Best compression.
- ✅ 30% better than VP9
- ✅ Royalty-free
- ⚠️ Very slow encoding
- ⚠️ Limited support (new)
🎯 Quick Decision Guide
I want maximum compatibility
→ Choose MP4 (H.264)
I want the smallest file size
→ Choose WebM (VP9)
I'm using Apple devices only
→ Choose MOV (QuickTime)
I'm uploading to YouTube/social media
→ Choose MP4 (H.264) or WebM (VP9)
I need to edit the video later
→ Choose MOV (best for editing software)
Pro tip: Need to create thumbnails for your videos? Check out ThumbCraft.io for professional video thumbnail creation.